The Living
by Hey-Unicorn-Eat-Tacos-With-Me
Summary: Nico gets shipped off to some public school to "make friends and try to fit in". My first story, please no flames. READ AND REVIEW! Oops, I forgot to do a disclaimer inside: I DO NOT OWN THIS! Time frame: After the Titan war, before HoO
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, dudes. I have quite a few fanfics I have written, but have not been perfected. This is my first one about Nico diAngelo. I hope you like it. Read & Review! Takes place in a world without the HoO series, sorry. This is after the Titan War. Like, six months later. Overused topic idea, but whatever. Ha-ha, I'm eating icecream! Jealous?**

I trudged my way through the fields of Asphodel. There were so many spirits here, and so very little in the Isles of the Blest. It was thouroughly depressing.

I was making my way towards my father's palace. I would've shadow-traveled, but the effort would've made me bone-tired.

It was winter, so Persephone would be there.

Persephone... _detests _me. Never hate, oh, no. Never hate. Detests, dislikes; those all fit Persephone's opinion of Nico diAngelo. She doesn't like me because Hades is my dad; naturally, she wouldn't like me.

I was nearly at the gates, and I could see the Furies -sorry, 'Kindly Ones'; names have power- crouching in the black poplar trees.

I melted right through the gates, and into the large palace complex. It was black and bronze; almost an exact replica of Mount Olympus, except for the depressing atmosphere this version held.

Hades sat regally on his throne, with his wife at his side. Persephone looked bored. Like, oh-my-gods-kill-me-now-gag-me-with-a-spoon-bored. The kind of bored I often felt at the military school I once attended. But then Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover rescued me and... No, I would not think about my sister, Bianca. It was too painful, even now, a few years later.

Aw, man. I suck at blocking thoughts out of my head. I seriously suck.

I bowed respectfully at my father, then at Persephone (which was involuntary; but neccessary).

"Lord Hades, Lady Persephone," I addressed them. Persephone smirked as if my being respectful toward her had made her somewhat pleased in some sick way.

"Nico, pleasure to see you again, son." Hades held so much hostile intensity in his strong gaze, it would drive many insane, but it only succeeded in reminding me that I was kin of someone very powerful.

"We summoned you here, well, because we, ahem Persephone, was concerned on your well-being. She thought it may be proper for you to attend a regular mortal public school, with average mortals."

My jaw dropped. My mind couldn't even form a complete thought except one: this little idea, brewed up by Persephone, would never work for whatever purpose she has planned.

"W-What? No!" I protested.

My father nodded grimly, as if the idea made him uneasy as well. "Yes. A regular school in a small beach town in Southern California."

Persephone smiled. "Oh, it's lovely there! Wonderful hibiscus plants, you know. Plenty of sunshine. Oh, you'll love it there!" I stared at her. Was she trying to play dumb with me? Ignorant?! Or was she naturally this way?

"I think... I think it would be good for you if you reacted to normal situations in a mortal way. It might relieve you of some of your... rather stressful current predicament."

"I refuse to! No!"

"It is done, Nico. Tomorrow, you will wake up in an alley in Southern California. You will be provided with school supplies and some funds to support you for a small period of time. Then, you will earn your way into the world. Don't worry about monsters. And you are already enrolled in the junior high, thanks to Alecto. You get your schedule from the office, from there... try to fit in"

I was shocked. I rubbed my eyes, trying to rub away this terrible nightmare. Dang, if only I _was _dreaming.

"Goodbye, my son." And just like that, I slipped into a slumber.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thankyou. READ & REVIEW! And a special thankyou to Amber. She helped me a lot. You guys must hate me. BTW: Nico observes everyday routines of the average American middle school, and is interested in the strangeness that is modern-day public schooling.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Nor, do I own the Heroes of Olympus. Nor, do I own a decent pair of running shoes. Surprise, surprise.**

As Hades said I would, I woke up in Southern California. Or what I assumed was Southern California. It was sunny, with a few clouds, and it was kind of cold, but I didn't mind. I was sitting on a bench in small alley. A few cars passed every few minutes.

I still couldn't get over why my father just decided to make me go here. I really had no choice in the matter. I knew this school wouldn't last. Monsters would come. Or some god will curse me for bad grades. Or I'll just leave. I always do eventually. I can't really stay in one place for long. People get afraid of me or shun me. It always happens no matter how much I avoid it.

I don't really have friends. I have Percy, and Annabeth. But, they're, like, _infatuated _with each other and I feel like an intruder when I'm around them, so I left. I stayed in a town in New York for a while, but people saw me in the alleys. I guess they figured I was a 'hoodlum' or something, so I bailed. It's been that way for a while now. I'm used to it.

I squinted toward the east. It looked about seven o'clock. Then, I realized I had a watch. It was seven-thirty-two to be exact. I looked beside me and I saw a black backpack. I looked inside and saw that it had school supplies, and a lunchbox. I also saw my Stygian Iron sword had somehow been fit into this bag. I saw a small piece of gray stationary at the bottom:

_Nico,  
This pack was provided by Alecto. In case you're wondering, you can stay in your father's palace over the not. Either way is fine with me. The school is up the street.  
~Persephone_

It was written in neat printing. I could smell various flowers, and see the swirling floral patterns on the paper.

Looking up, I saw a big, red, brick building in the distance. It looked like a school. It had bike racks, and a drop-off zone where the parents dropped off their children. A bus was pulling in to drop off the students.

It all seemed so different. This 'mortal' lifestyle could never be mine. I knew things, I saw things, I _experienced _things that no normal person should experience.

No, in fact, I am not a mortal. I am a demigod. A half-blood. I wasn't like these people, and I would never be like these people. No possible way.

I grabbed my backpack, and gritted my teeth as I embarked on the journey of one block down Main Street to the red brick building on the corner. Yay.

When I arrived in the office of Island Middle School (what a strange name, right?) I recieved my schedule. The plump, perky, lady in the front office said, "have a lovely day!"

Not likely.

I had English first. I really don't get why kids have to take English in school. We already know the language.

School wouldn't start for another fifteen minutes, so I just poked around in the hallways. The hallways weren't quite so crowded yet. Not for about ten more minutes or so.

I headed for Room 105. There were a few students already in their desks, just lounging around waiting for the bell to ring. One was swinging an earbud from her headphones around on her finger, she stared outside.

"Nico di Angelo? The new student? I'm ," the teacher said. He was a tall man in a suit.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm Nico," I replied.

"Okay. The new student. It's a good thing you got here early. Your seat is in the back," he pointed toward a seat in the last row. "Take your seat."

So, I took my seat. I dug in my backpack for a pencil or a book or something to do. I don't like being bored.

"You're a new student?" I heard someone ask. I looked up.

"Uh.. yeah, I'm Nico." I held out my hand, and the boy shook it.

"Cool. I'm Callum. Did you just move here?"

"Um... you could say that." More like was dumped here by the some crazy immortal (*cough*Persephone*cough*).

"Well, welcome to Island Middle School," Callum said.

"Thanks."

The bell ring, and I covered my ears. Loud sounds tend to irritate me. Like a lot. I put my hands down quickly though, that might make me look like a freak. I mean, I am, but they don't know that. Yet.

Kids scurried through the door, rushing to their chairs.

"Alright, students, take your seats. Today, a new student will be joining us," he gestured toward me. "Class, this is Nico. Say 'hello' to Nico."

A whole three students said in a very monotone voice, "hello to Nico."

"Hi," I said blatantly.

"Today, we will be learning about the skeleton of a good a story. Open you books to page 72 and begin reading paragraphs one and two silently."

That class went very neutral. I had physical education next. Yippee. I don't know if you know this, but me and running do not mix. Shadow-traveling? Oh, sure. Fighting monsters? All in a days work, you know. But running? Don't make me or I'll bite your finger off. I think I actually tried biting someone's finger off at the Military School in Connecticut. Oops.

Thankfully, we actually weren't running at all. We were just playing dodge-ball. Or, as I'm positive the jocks refer to it, 'Pelt-The-Freaks-With-Foam-Balls-Until-They-Cry'.

I didn't play because I didn't have the P.E. uniform, so I just watched from the corner.

One girl was really good at dodging. She had a good technique, too. When she had two of the foam balls, she put one just over the boundary line onto the other team's side. When some fool came to pick it up and let his or her guard down, she'd softly pelt them with the other ball. The ball would bounce back onto her side, and she would start the process over again with someone else. Her team won.

I noted her technique. Who knows? It may just come in handy someday.

My next class was math, but there was a substitute teacher, so the class really didn't do anything. Kids just texted on their smart-phones. I thought it was insane for a parent to give their children such luxuries. Who knows what they could be doing on there? And how many people could they possibly know that are friends?

Some kids chatted. The girl with the cool strategy from PE sat next to me.

"Hi. Are you a new student?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Nico."

"My name's Indira. But you can call me Indi. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," I replied.

She plugged one of her earphones in and continued reading her book.

My next class was World History with .

She told me to take a seat wherever I'd like as long as no one else was sitting there already. There was one spot at the front of the class, and one at the back.

I chose the back.

In her class we just learned about teeny tiny countries in the Middle East that were having trouble. I didn't really pay any attention.

Then, lunch came.

Alecto had provided me with lunch money, but I didn't really feel hungry, so I didn't buy anything. The lunch attendants who stay during lunch and watch the students, don't let us leave the cafeteria for twenty minutes. Then, we can go to the library or the field or whatever. The way I saw it, I was trapped in a room with loud students, and I couldn't leave without the guards' "okay".

I decided to buy something anyway. I would look geeky if a just sat there staring at the air, waiting to be let out of this prison. I bought a cheese sandwhich and a waterbottle.

I was making my way to an empty table when this guys walks straight into me. Like he didn't even see me. We both fell onto the floor.

"Watch where you're going, freak!" He got himself up, and so did I. He grabbed the collar of my jacket and raised his fist over my head, as if to punch me. I put on an expression that clearly said: "_Try it. I'm in assosciation with death, buddy. I'd be happy to make an acception and let you in early."_

"Cheerio, brute! Lily-livered canker-bottom!"A girl yelled at the jock while she toom a seat with a couple of her friends. I recognized Callum and Indi with her. They started cracking up. She said it in a British accent, and she said it very regally. She waved her fork in the air which had a carrot on it, "Un-hello, lout! May your great cousin twice removed never be assaulted by Attila the Hun at the Supermarket!" At the last part, she lowered her voice a bit. She ate the carrot.

The guy was obviously confused beyond his wits (which weren't numerous.) He let go of my collar, and glowered at me sending an obvious message: _This isn't over. _The guy stalked away.

"Uh, thanks," I murmured to the girl with the accent.

"No problem," she said, her voice a regular American accent.

"Hi, Nico," Callum said, trying to open his bag of potato chips. When he finally did, the whole bag ripped apart and chips flew everywhere. It was kind of funny. Callum has blonde hair, and greenish eyes. He's not that tall, but he's taller than I am.

"Hey, Nico!" Indi greeted. She kept trying to pick the potato chip debris out of her hair, but it was everywhere. She has reddish-brownish hair and pale blue eyes. She looks like the exact opposite of shy, like she's really confident.

The other girl said, "hi." She picked at her sandwhich. "I'm Wren." She had dark brown hair, and she had bleached the tips of it to make it blonde at the end of it. She wore jeans and a dark brown jacket.

"Hi. I'm-"

"Nico. Yeah, I heard. So, you're new?"

I nodded.

"So... how's school so far?" Indi asked.

"It's fine. Pretty mellow so far," I answered.

"Oh. That's good."

We ate in silence after that. Every once in a while Callum or Indi would ask me a question about myself and I would answer them. It felt like an hour, but it was only twenty minutes.

"Okay, well, Nico, we have to go now. Do you want to come?"

"Uh, sure." I threw the remainders of my sandwhich in the trashcan and left with who I hope are friends.

But, just then, I felt a buzzing sensation in my stomach. It was like my insides were vibrating. It felt pretty gross. My head felt strange, like I was getting dizzy. I have similar reactions to this when someone I know or have known or heard of dies. But that's different, it's more than this. The reaction is more intense. It doesn't hurt, it just feels weird.

So, what did this mean? I guess I'll find out.

Callum and Indi were already out the door.

"You coming?" Wren asked.

"Um, yeah. Yeah."

**A/N: Okay. Chapter 2. I REALLY hope this was better than chapter 2! Just write a message and hit the cute little review button! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! Next chapter! AAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh! Ecstatic!**

**DISCLAIMER: I disclaim.**

"Where are we going?" I asked my new friends.

"The field!" Indi replied. "C'mon, guys! Pick up the pace! You're so slow," she whined. She began to run.

Callum panted, trying to keep up. "You're too fast! Slow down!"

I really was not willing to run. It seems neither was Wren.

"Ugh, I give up," she murmured. "Indi! I'm walking! I'll be there in, like, five minutes," She yelled to Indi, who wasn't even breaking a sweat, despite her sprinting pace.

"Nico, did you move here?" Wren asked.

"Yeah. From... New York," I said, walking alongside her.

"That's a long way," she commented.

"Yeah, my father just insisted I move here."

"Oh," was all she said.

"Um... what did you call that guy in the cafeteria?" I asked. I was seriously curious.

"Oh, that. Shakespearean Insults 101 by Camilla Valencia. Chapter two. Some of them are really hilarious."

"What was that thing you said? 'May the Huns not assault..."

"That was a part of a list I read online: Creative Ways to Goodbye. Un-hello was included in that list."

"That's cool."

Awkward silence...

"Hey, where'd Callum and Indi go?" I asked. I looked around for them. There were some tree around, and some soccer players. The ball hurtled through the goal.

"There's a small area of trees that we go to. They're probably already there. C'mon," she urged.

I couldn't shake off that strange feeling. Usually, if it's because someone died, I know who did. But I don't. I don't think anyone I'm close to has died. And I'm not really close to anyone. What did this mean?

I was so lost in thought that I bumped into a tree while I blindly followed Wren.

"Whoa, watch out!" She laughed. "We're here. It's just a little grove of trees, but... it protects us from getting nailed in the head by a soccerball."

It was just a group of three or four trees, but Callum and Indi were sitting criss-cross on the grass playing Go-Fish.

"Care to join us?" Callum asked.

Wren sits down and takes a few cards from the deck. "Ooh! You guys didn't shuffle very well, did you?" She set down three pairs of matching cards on the grass, leaving her with one card. "Uno!"

Indi rolled her eyes, "That's only in the game 'uno'!" But she was chuckling.

All this time I'm still on the edge of the grove. Still thinking about that strange feeling. And then it hits me: someone's about to die.

I guess my face must've paled, or my posture or expression must've changed, because they noticed something was wrong.

"What is it?" Callum asks, withdrawing a card from the pile, and groaning.

"Nothing. Nothing," I mutter. "Uh, yeah, nothing." I sit down on the grass next to him.

"Oookay," Callum says. "Do you want to play? Here," he hands me a few of the cards and I take them.

If I recall correctly, in Go Fish, you have to put down your matched pairs of the same number until you have no cards left. I have no matches, so I ask Callum if he has any, and he doesn't so I retrieve a card from the deck. Nothing.

"Ooh!" Indi sceeches and places to neat stacks of pairs of cards. She only has one card left.

Callum wins. I think he cheated. This is the most annoying game in the history of mankind.

Now the feeling in my stomach is so freaking irritating I could be sick. It doesn't necessarily hurt, but I can't stand the fluttery feeling. It's like... I'm on a free-fall. Free-falls are something I usually try to avoid. With Zeus and all, I might be ashes before I hit the ground. But I digress.

I curl into a ball on the ground, holding my knees.

"Are you okay?" Indi asks.

"Yeah, I'm... fine."

"Are you sure?" She asks again, trying to pry my fingers off my arms. I let go.

I see something in the sky. It's a large winged figure. I think I may be hallucinating, but no, now I can hear the flapping of the wings in air. I think its... It can't be... not possible.

What the Underworld is that doing here?

**A/N: I am so sorry guys. I am having a terrible case of writer's block. If anyone has any major suggestions as to where my plot is going, I am all ears. PM me or review if you are a guest. I am blank on ideas.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so sorry about the insanely slow updates! And thank you: Awesomejoyce; IzzyQuagmire0907; amba01; and Melovetacos.**

**DISCLAIMER: I disclaim this. **

The massive creature's wings pump through the air in a steady rhythmic pattern. I see the tawny hue of the creature, the coat and the feathers coming into perspective as it comes nearer and nearer to the field.

The pegasus' four hooves kick through the air, as if it's running. I can tell the horse is nervous to be around me, a creature of death. The way it's eyes skitter nervously to and from me tells me this.

My friends glance from me, to the pegasus, and back again. Then they do a double take, eyes wide in wonder. For a short moment, I wonder if the Mist has somehow failed.

"That's an _enormous _bird," Indi says, shuddering. "Yeesh."

"What if it eats us?" Callum asks, mock-concern in his voice.

"I'm sure it won't eat Wren. I'll bet she has a bitter taste about her, don't you think? All that sarcasm can't be good for the beast's digestion." Indi playfully nudges Wren in the ribs.

"I like that perspective." Wren says, then adds, "I'm safe. Not so sure about you, Indi. The optimism probably tastes like rainbows."

I tune out as they play-bicker, and slowly walk towards the tawny-colored pegasus, which has landed. He (I'm assuming it's a 'he') puts his head down to graze on the grass, but rises immediately. The turf is plastic.

That's when I notice the rider on it's back. I recognize him as a resident of Camp Half-Blood, a son of Demeter. The boy is one of the older campers, maybe 16, 17 years old. He holds up two fingers, a single folded note between them. He slips off the back of the jittery horse.

"Hey, man. I got a message from camp for you." He holds the slip of thick paper out to me, and I take it. "Gotta go. I got, like, twenty more of these to go," he mutters bitterly.

I open up the folded piece of paper. Written in thin print is a note from Chiron:

"_Dear Camper,  
I am to inform you that Olympus is shutting its gates. Whether this be a temporary, or an indefinite change is unknown. Zeus has ordained that the gates be shut, and contact forbidden. Have a pleasant day.  
Sincerely,  
Chiron [the centaur]"_

I crumple the note and shove it into my jean pocket. Whatever. It doesn't pertain to me. I'm hardly welcome at Olympus. For a moment, I understand my father's bitterness. It's frighteningly cold and terrifyingly fierce.

I clear my face of any expression, and head back to the group.

**A/N: Extremely short chapter after an extremely long wait. I think I am going to discontinue the story. Review. **

**P.S. If anyone has an idea for a conflict and resolution for this story (I did poor planning; I don't even know where this story is going), I'm all ears. PM me or review.**


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